NEWBURYPORT — Days after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents stormed into a local business, local group Music in Action brought a sense of hope and community by hosting a musical vigil at the Bartlet Mall on Wednesday night.
“We wanted to pause and ground the fear and grief our communities are feeling after the escalation of tactics on Monday,” event co-organizer Tessa Greene said. “In these hard times, we sang to affirm the safety, dignity and belonging of all of our neighbors. We sang so that terror does not strip us of our humanity, nor leave us alone in our fear.”
The gathering, which began at 7:30 p.m., came after ICE raided Fantasy Nail & Spa on Monday afternoon and forcibly removed its business owner.
The raid came three days after local police came to the salon Friday afternoon and arrested business owner Jun Qiu of Amesbury on a previous warrant.
The warrant for his arrest was issued after a former employee came to the Newburyport police station two days earlier and accused him of threatening her with physical violence after quitting in July.
Qiu was arraigned Friday in Newburyport District Court on three counts of threatening to commit a crime and criminal harassment and was released on personal recognizance.
A search of the ICE detainee locator database shows the 36-year-old Chinese national is now being held at the Wyatt Detention Center in Central Falls, Rhode Island.
Greene was joined at the event by fellow organizers Shawna Kelley, Jillian Starr Dion and Nanette Masi. Roughly 55 people attended with Greene describing the atmosphere as “quiet and reflective.”
Among those in attendance was Ward 5 City Councilor Lisa Medina Smith, who said she appreciated the opportunity to pause and reflect together as a community.
“It was a peaceful gathering that brought neighbors together through candlelight and song to remember those who have lost their lives,” Smith said.
Masi called the vigil “a beautiful thing.”
“It was a healing thing, and people seemed to really appreciate being in community like that,” Masi said. “We got a lot of comments about how much it helped.”
Greene said folks interested in learning about the group can reach out to comms@music-in-action.com.
“We meet weekly to practice and participate in community actions,” Greene said. “We rotate locations from churches, libraries, parks and public spaces. We also have pop-up events where we gather to sing and eat together.”
Matt Petry covers Amesbury and Salisbury for The Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: mpetry@northofboston.com.